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Rescued boaters recovering in Duval County hospitals

They spent two days floating at sea after their craft capsized.

Rebecca Sullivan

John Nevarez

Elias Nevarez

Three Jacksonville anglers rescued after their 20-foot boat capsized and dumped them into the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday remained hospitalized Wednesday, recovering from severe sunburn, dehydration and man-of-war jellyfish stings.

The two brothers and a friend who were found clinging to a cooler declined to publicly recount their story, instead using the day to rest and recover.

Two of the three, Elias Nevarez, 31, and Rebecca Sullivan, 28, were taken to Jacksonville Naval Hospital, where both were in good condition, said hospital spokeswoman Tami Begasse. She said both had “high spirits” and were with family.

“Things are going fine,” said Noreen Carrasquillo, the Nevarez brothers’ mother. The family declined further comment.

The ordeal began Sunday afternoon when their boat, Problem Child, was hit by rough waves, said Coast Guard spokesman Michael Hulme. He said the boat was equipped with flares and life jackets, though it did not have a homing device called an electronic position indicating radio beacon that would have sent out a signal the moment it hit the salt water.

When the boat capsized, no one was wearing a life jacket, Hulme said. They held onto the bow section of the boat’s hull that was all that remained above water. At some point they moved to the cooler to keep afloat.

Hulme said it was not clear Wednesday what happened to the hull section.

They were rescued two days later by a private boat and transferred to a Coast Guard rescue boat.

“It was 48 hours in the water; their boat flipped about noon Sunday,” Hulme said.

He said they tried to make a mayday call but the water ruined the radio.

Hulme said an electronic radio beacon greatly increases the chance that a distressed boater will be found quickly. He said while Problem Child was apparently well-stocked with safety gear, the items were not easily grabbed by those on board. Hulme said details of the trip also were not known to anyone on shore.

Wearing life jackets on board, having a radio beacon and filing a trip plan are all strongly recommended before going into the ocean, he said.